Located on Renton Road in Ewa Beach, just across from a charming green bus stop, lies Varona Village. This 24-acre community was once home to 93 one-story houses occupied by employees of Oahu Sugar’s Ewa Plantation. Now, in partnership with the Savio Group of Companies and Hawaii Habitat for Humanity Association, the city is embarking on a redevelopment project to revitalize this aging neighborhood.
The developer, now known as Savio/Hawaii Habitat Varona Village LLC, has been working closely with the city for almost 30 years to bring their ambitious plan to fruition. The goal is to provide the current and former tenants of Varona Village, as well as their families and other residents, with the opportunity to own the homes they have called their own. To achieve this, the developer plans to introduce new affordable housing lots to the community. These lots will be made available for purchase, with first priority given to Varona Village members, both present and past, before being offered to the wider local community.
During a recent news conference in the neighborhood, Mayor Rick Blangiardi expressed his pride in being able to make homeownership a reality for the tenants and their families who have a deep connection to the Ewa Plantation. He emphasized the importance of preserving and caring for this truly special place.
Chris Hong, the project manager for the developer, highlighted the long-awaited promise to redevelop Varona Village. The project will be carried out in two phases. Phase one involves renovating or repairing 35 to 40 existing homes to meet minimum health and safety codes for the tenants, their families, and current occupants. Phase two will focus on constructing up to 88 new affordable residential homes, including condominiums, as well as a community center.
Additionally, the city plans to improve the infrastructure surrounding Varona Village. This includes the installation of new sewage lines to replace the outdated septic tank systems in most of the existing homes. Furthermore, there will be improvements made to Renton Road and other roadways in the vicinity.
Hong revealed that as soon as the approval process for the condominium property regime (CPR) is complete, the lots will be sold to the tenants of record. He did not provide specific pricing details for the proposed properties, but he did mention that Varona’s tenants of record, along with their spouses, family members, and descendants of sugar plantation workers, can expect the lots to be priced around $100,000.
The timeline for the completion of this project is set for early 2025. Hong mentioned that the CPR process will begin once the agreement of sale is finalized. Simultaneously, efforts will be made to ensure that the families have the necessary financing in place to proceed with the purchase.
The rejuvenation of Varona Village has encountered multiple setbacks over the years, as reported by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. However, this time around, the city and its officials are determined to see the project through. The original plan, conceived in the early 1980s, involved the city acquiring 676 homes on a 243-acre plot leased by Campbell Estate to Oahu Sugar, which was then owned by Amfac. While the initial phase was successfully completed in Fernandez Village, the subsequent plans faced challenges. Eventually, only three of the seven plantation communities were preserved: Renton, Tenny, and Varona Villages.
Efforts to rekindle the project began in 2013 when the Varona Village Working Group was formed. The hard work and recommendations of this group led to the city’s solicitation for a redevelopment partner in 2017.
Mayor Blangiardi expressed his administration’s commitment to completing the Varona Village project, citing it as one of their top priorities. After two and a half years of effort, they are determined to make this vision a reality.
In conclusion, the redevelopment of Varona Village is an important undertaking that will provide the tenants and their families with the opportunity to own their homes. With the partnership between the city, the Savio Group of Companies, and Hawaii Habitat for Humanity Association, this project aims to rejuvenate the community and preserve its unique plantation-style charm. By offering affordable housing lots and improving the infrastructure, Varona Village will become a vibrant and thriving neighborhood once again.
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